Dioxin detoxification project in Da Nang airport completed

At the ceremony to hand over the last 13/7 hectares of treated areas in Da Nang airport to the Ministry of Transport (Photo: VNA)

Da Nang (VNA) – The last 13.7 hectares of detoxified land in the
dioxin-polluted area in Da Nang airport were handed over to the Ministry of
Transport at a ceremony held in the central city on November 7, raising the
total remediated area to 32.4 hectares.

The
activity also marked the conclusion of a six-year project to remediate the
environmental pollution at the airport, which was jointly implemented by the Vietnamese
Ministry of National Defence and the US
International Development Agency (USAID) with a non-refundable aid of 110
million USD funded by the US Government.

The
project, started in August 2012, was considered an important milestone in the
bilateral cooperation between the governments of Vietnam and the US, aiming to
returning a clean and safe environment for the local community.

It
successfully detoxified over 90,000 cubic metres of toxic sediments by thermal
treatment method, while isolating other 50,000 cubic metres of low-contaminated
sediments.

The testing
results on treated soil and sediments taken by the USAID and the Vietnamese Ministry
of National Defence showed that the contamination is even lower than the safe
level, affirming the success of the project.

Addressing
the handover ceremony, Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen.
Nguyen Chi Vinh said that although the war ended decades ago, the bomb, mine
and chemical pollution have directly harmed the safety and health of many
people, affecting Vietnam’s environment and socio-economic development as well
as its implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

Therefore,
the Party, Government and relevant agencies of Vietnam have applied a number of
policies, measures and practical activities to speed up the settlement of war
aftermaths, with priority given to the treatment of toxic chemicals.

He affirmed
that the project to deal with dioxin pollution in the Da Nang airport has
completed all of its objectives.

Vinh asked authorised
agencies and the US side continue to working closely in performing long-term environmental
monitoring following the project, thus maintaining the clean environment for
social-economic development of Da Nang city.

Vietnam’s authorised
agencies should promptly give evaluation on the results and efficiency of the
project, thus building an overall scientific report to announce
internationally, he requested.

The Deputy
Minister also expressed his hope that a project to remediate dioxin pollution
in Bien Hoa airport will be launched in 2019, along with many other activities
to settle war consequences in Vietnam.

US
Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kristenbrink announced the accomplishment of
dioxin detoxification in the Da Nang airport, describing it as a considerable
milestone in the expanding relationship between the two countries.

The handing
over of the last treated area is expected to facilitate the expansion of the
airport and promote socio-economic growth of Da Nang, said the diplomat.

The USAID
will continue collaborating with Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence to
detoxify dioxin pollution in the Bien Hoa airport, he affirmed.-VNA